I am looking for advice on buying the best type of saw or guide to slice large logs (12"-18" in diameter) into 1-2 " serving platters.
I was told a chain saw… but I would need some sort of guide so that the cross sections would come out even.
Any ideas on either a different saw or a guide of some sort or something to stabilize the log while cutting.
Thanks!
You’d typically use a portable mill. They are expensive so if this is a one time project you should pay someone in the area to do it for you. Alternatively you could take your logs to a mill but they are a bit more picky about what they’ll cut.
If you stay on the smaller side of that 12" to 18", you can use a chainsaw to cut the logs up into manageable sized chunks, and then make a little rig to hold the logs in place while you run them through a band saw to slice them. Your typical band saw isn’t going to be able to slice anything thicker than maybe 12" to 14" though (and some won’t even go that thick).
The problem with logs is that they taper. No strait edge to run a 90 deg off of. If I had to do it I would hinge some angle iron and drill out holes to fit the bolts that hold the bar on a chainsaw. Kind of a chainsaw chop saw.
Do you have a good buddy? I am thinking of a two man saw:
Cross Cut Saw
If you are going the chainsaw route, you could add an alaskan mill. They are typically used to make boards out of logs but, I think you could use it as a starting point to cut rounds.
Or a 20 inch bandsaw. A cursory glance says you are looking at at least $3000.
You don’t need a guide, you’ll do just fine. Rent a chainsaw or get a bow saw for some exercise. Chainsaw competitors saw off beautiful 1 inch thick “plates” one after another in a few seconds.
A sawed round isn’t much of a plate, it really needs to slightly hollowed on a lathe or with a scorp to work anyway.
Dennis
If you cut slices from green wood, cut them thin enough, and allow them to dry quicker on one side than the other, they will naturally form shallow dishes. I’ve only tried it on small diameter logs, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t scale up.
The problem is going to be controlling (or otherwise dealing with) radial cracks, I think
Put an ad in Craigslist or other sites to find someone to cut them for you–it looks do-it-yourself is either going to be to expensive to buy the equipment and/or too time-consuming until you acquire the necessary skills to do it accurately.
This is your answer. Make sure your chain is properly sharpened and after your first couple of “practice” cuts you will be good to go.
You can also use the felling dogs on a chainsaw to help keep the bar in an even plane while cutting. It takes a little practice but with a sharp chain and enough power you can make a clean cut at the desired width.
I’ve been using chainsaws for 30 years, I never knew that those teeth/spikes had a name.
Felling dogs/dawgs, huh. Learn something every day.
Honestly, I had to look it up to make sure I was using the right term. We had them on some of the saws we used in the woods but not all. They can really come in handy at times.
Perhaps the OP can find a local chainsaw artist who will cut it for him.
What about making a jig by attaching a couple of 2x4s to a sheet of plywood with enough gap between them for the size log you’re working with? Wide side against the plywood. Then place that vertically at the end of your working surface, slide the log up flush against it, then use the 2x4s as a guide for the cut. Should result in a fairly straight 1-5/8" thick round.
Yes.
Thin slices off a log made of wood that doesn’t shrink too much have some chance of curing into a dish shape without cracking. But with most wood, slices an inch or more thick will reliably develop radial cracks.
Imagine cutting such a slice from a log, then sawing a thin slot from the edge to its center. When your slice has dried, you find that the thin slot has opened into a wedge shape, with an angle of something like 10 degrees (depends on the type of wood).
(As others have noted, there’s nothing very difficult about making nice even cuts with a chainsaw. For best results, chain should be truly sharp, and its operator not a tyro.)
Rent or hire a portable mill … if you’re reasonably competent with a chainsaw you can freecut and then run the planks through a planer … all covered in the comments above …
Just want to add that you can quartersaw {Wikicite} the logs and hopefully prevent cracking and warping … it’s wasteful of the wood but the quality of the planks you do get is best … generally …
OP: Roughly how many of these are you interested in making? Unless you are making these in volume I think either the cost and/or the time for each platter will turn out to be fairly high.
Find a sawyer with a mill if you can. Otherwise use the chainsaw, you’ll get a pretty good cut. You’ll need to go over that surface anyway no matter how you cut it. At 12" those sections could go through most power planers, at 18" you’ll need an industrial sized machine. If it’s cut close enough a drum sander could finish them. A furniture builder could help you if you find one. The problem is what you’ll end up with after the wood is cut and dried. It will probably change shape significantly and you’ll be best off cutting it thick and waiting until a shop with a good planer and sander can finish them for you. You also have to avoid radial cracks and splits. Depending on the wood you may be able to prevent that by keeping a ratchet strap tightened around the perimeter of the section. If I were doing this I’d look for logs with a radius several inches wider than the end result would be, cut them thick, let them dry, and turn them on a lathe to finish.
Check out this video by a very knowledgeable gent named Jon Peters. What Stana Claus suggested will work also, and the video shows you how to deal with shimming the saw chain off the jig.